Latino Daily News

Wearable Technology Sector to Grow in 2014

Wearable technology, a concept that goes from bracelets that measure physical exercise to Google Glass, will gain strength as a global market this year, according to a new study by International Data Corporation.

In 2013 this product niche “took a huge step forward,” IDC said, estimating that in 2014, triple the number of units will be distributed, more than 19 million, and by 2018 that quantity will zoom to around 111.9 million.

“The increased buzz has prompted more vendors to announce their intentions to enter this market,” Ramon Llamas, IDC’s research manager for Mobile Phones, said.

“Most importantly, end-users have warmed to their simplicity in terms of design and functionality, making their value easy to understand and use,” he said.

Over the next four years, the market will be headed by devices that measure physical activity like Nike+ FuelBand, Jawbone UP and Fitbit because they’re affordable and easy to use, the study said.

Next in line come other accessories such as smartwatches, which according to IDC have not been so well accepted in the market, though they will certainly do better as the availability of new apps increases.

A third segment with systems like Google Glass and which offer smart devices that connect to the Internet and function independently still have a long way to go, but for IDC their presence will end up being generalized.